PC Client Upgrade

It is about time that we talk about the next big Blacklight update - including new maps, new items, major infrastructure changes, and some balance changes. Hardsuit Labs and Perfect World are working hard to merge the existing PC US/EU versions of the game with the PS4/Russia version of the game while also making sure the whole process is as seamless for our veterans as possible.

Who Is Hardsuit Labs?

Hardsuit Labs is a totally new Studio formed by the veterans of Zombie Studios. HSL has acquired Zombie’s rights to Blacklight: Retribution and is working with existing partners. HSL is working hard to bring the latest and greatest that Blacklight has to offer to each and every player around the world. This means PS4, PC, and anywhere BLR is, HSL is behind it and actively supporting it.

Our Goal

Content parity. For those of you who are not familiar, content parity is the concept of making sure that your product is equal on all platforms that it is available on. Our main objective moving forward is to have a single version of Blacklight: Retribution across all platforms, and to keep it that way.

Technical Challenges

The current PS4/Russia version of Blacklight is very different from the US/EU version, especially behind-the-scenes. Upgrading the US/EU version to the latest version is going to be a massive undertaking, as we have multiple years’ worth of player data stored in our databases, most of which will need to be updated and made to fit into the new systems.

What this means for existing veteran players is that some of your items will change how they work, and in some cases be completely replaced. We will pay close attention to the balance between the values that is being removed from each player and provide equivalent value in return. We think you guys are totally on board with the idea of making things match up so we can bring out the update. We'll watch for feedback on this topic as well.

The actual upgrade process, after it goes through our battery of tests, will most likely take multiple days’ worth of downtime. The differences between the current version and the new version are so vast that players will also be required to uninstall their current client, then reinstall the new one. The new installers will be made available as soon as the upgrade process begins, which should allow ample time for players to get the latest version of the game while the servers are still down for maintenance.

WHEN?!

We are still early in the process, and with so many moving pieces, we don’t want to announce a launch date until we’re confident in the product that we would launch. Regardless of when we can ship the update – we want you all to know that it’s being worked on right now, every day.

Keep an eye out for our upcoming preview blogs on all of the new content. Kick the tires and light the fires, Agents – Blacklight is coming back in a big way.

To hear more from the team check out:
Twitter: @hardsuitlabs
Facebook.com/hardsuitlabs

Twitter: @playblacklight
Facebook.com/playblacklight


Kael Hammond
Producer
Hardsuit Labs

Matthew Pecot
Assistant Product Manager
Perfect World Entertainment


Want to discuss this? We'll be answering questions here and on the official forums.